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Mathematics

Student Background Questionnaire


2007
Grade 8
DIRECTIONS

In the next two sections, you will be asked questions about yourself and your
education. The choices for some questions will be written across the page as shown.
Fill in the oval for the best answer.

Example 1

Never or Once or Once or Almost


hardly twice a twice a every
ever month week day

1. How often do you watch A B C D


movies on TV?

You should have filled in the oval below the answer that best tells how often you
watch movies on TV.

The choices for some questions will be written down the page as shown. Now read
Example 2 and indicate your answer.

Example 2

2. Which event would you prefer to attend?

A basketball game
B car show
C concert

D play

Make your answer mark clear and dark in the oval. If you make a mistake or want
to change your answer, be sure to completely erase any unwanted marks.

Do not go past the sign at the end of each section until you are told to do so.

If you finish before time is called, go back and check your work on that section only.
Use your time carefully. Do as much as you can in each section.

Y23BD Page 1 STOP


3
SECTION 3 Section

In this section, please tell us about yourself and your family. The section has 13 questions.
Mark your answers in your booklet.

VB331330 VB331331

1. Are you Hispanic or Latino? Fill in one 2. Which of the following best describes
or more ovals. you? Fill in one or more ovals.
A No, I am not Hispanic or Latino. A White

B Yes, I am Mexican, Mexican B Black or African American


American, or Chicano.
C Asian
C Yes, I am Puerto Rican or Puerto
Rican American. D American Indian or Alaska Native

D Yes, I am Cuban or Cuban E Native Hawaiian or other Pacific


American. Islander

E Yes, I am from some other Hispanic


or Latino background.

A2D1 Page 1 GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE


Section 3

For the rest of the questions in this section, fill in only one oval for each question.

VB331333 VB331337

3. Does your family get a newspaper at 7. Is there an encyclopedia in your home? It


least four times a week? could be a set of books, or it could be on
the computer.
A Yes
A Yes
B No
B No
C I don’t know.
C I don’t know.

VB331334 TB001101

4. Does your family get any magazines 8. About how many pages a day do you
regularly? have to read in school and for
homework?
A Yes
A 5 or fewer
B No
B 6–10
C I don’t know.
C 11–15
D 16–20
VB331335

5. About how many books are there in E More than 20


your home?
A Few (0–10) VB331339

9. How often do you talk about things you


B Enough to fill one shelf (11–25) have studied in school with someone in
your family?
C Enough to fill one bookcase (26–100)
A Never or hardly ever
D Enough to fill several bookcases
(more than 100) B Once every few weeks

C About once a week

VB331336 D Two or three times a week


6. Is there a computer at home that
you use? E Every day
A Yes

B No

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Section 3

VB331447 VB331451

10. How many days were you absent from 13. How often do people in your home talk
school in the last month? to each other in a language other than
English?
A None
A Never
B 1 or 2 days
B Once in a while
C 3 or 4 days
C About half of the time
D 5 to 10 days
D All or most of the time
E More than 10 days

VB330870

11. How far in school did your mother go?


A She did not finish high school.
B She graduated from high school.

C She had some education after high


school.

D She graduated from college.


E I don’t know.

VB330871

12. How far in school did your father go?


A He did not finish high school.
B He graduated from high school.

C He had some education after high


school.

D He graduated from college.


E I don’t know.

A2D1 Page 3 STOP


4
SECTION 4 Section

This section has 11 questions. Mark your answers in your booklet. Fill in only one oval for
each question.

VB543277 VB543 278

1. What math class are you taking this year? 2. What math class do you expect to take
next year?
A Geometry
A Geometry
B Algebra II
B Algebra II
C Algebra I (one-year course)
C Algebra I (one-year course)
D First year of a two-year Algebra I
course D First year of a two-year Algebra I
course
E Second year of a two-year Algebra I
course E Second year of a two-year Algebra I
course
F Introduction to algebra or
pre-algebra F Introduction to algebra or
pre-algebra
G Basic or general eighth-grade math
G Basic or general math
H Integrated or sequential math
H Integrated or sequential math
I Other math class
I Business or consumer math
J Other math class

K I don’t know.

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Section 4

VC180734

3. How often do you feel the following way in your math class? Fill in one oval on each line.
Never or Once or Once or Almost
hardly twice a twice a every
ever month week day

a. I have a clear understanding of what A B C D VC180740

my teacher is asking me to do.

b. The math work is too easy. A B C D VC180742

c. The math work is boring. A B C D VC180748

d. I have done a good job on my homework. A B C D VC180750

e. I have done a good job on my classwork. A B C D VC180753

f. The math work is challenging. A B C D VC180754

g. The math work is engaging A B C D VC180755

and interesting.

h. I am learning. A B C D VC180757

VB525162 VB543148

4. How often do you use a computer for 5. On a typical day, how much time do
math at school? you spend doing work for math class
on a computer? Include work you do in
A Never or hardly ever class and for homework.
B Once every few weeks A None

C About once a week B Half an hour or less

D Two or three times a week C About 1 hour


E Every day or almost every day D About 2 hours

E More than 2 hours

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Section 4

VB543155

6. When you are doing math for school or homework, how often do you use these different
types of computer programs? Fill in one oval on each line.
Never Once About Two or Every day
or hardly every few once a three times or almost
ever weeks week a week every day

a. A spreadsheet program for A B C D E VB543157

math class assignments

b. A program to practice or drill A B C D E VB543158

on math facts (addition,


subtraction, multiplication,
division)

c. A program that presents new A B C D E VB543160

math lessons with problems


to solve

d. The Internet to learn things A B C D E VB543159

for math class

e. A calculator program on the A B C D E VB543161

computer to solve or check


problems for math class

f. A graphing program on the A B C D E VB543262

computer to make charts or


graphs for math class

g. A statistical program to A B C D E VB517157

calculate patterns such as


correlations or cross tabulations

h. A word processing program to A B C D E VB543156

write papers for math class

i. A drawing program to work A B C D E VB543263

with geometric shapes for


math class

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Section 4

VB517159

7. How often do you use these different types of calculators in your math class?
Sometimes,
Never but not Usually
use often use

a. Basic four-function (addition, subtraction, A B C VB517160

multiplication, division)

b. Scientific (not graphing) A B C VB517161

c. Graphing A B C VB517282

VB517158 VC034559

8. When you take a math test or quiz, 10. How hard did you try on this test
how often do you use a calculator? compared to how hard you tried on
most other tests you have taken this
A Never year in school?
B Sometimes A Not as hard as on other tests

C Always B About as hard as on other tests

C Harder than on other tests

VB595182 D Much harder than on other tests


9. How hard was this test compared to
most other tests you have taken this
year in school? VB595184

11. How important was it to you to do


A Easier than other tests well on this test?
B About as hard as other tests A Not very important

C Harder than other tests B Somewhat important


D Much harder than other tests C Important

D Very important

D2MB1 Page 4 STOP

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